Yucatán Quiche Recipes

CHEESY QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heavily spray a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crispy, about 6 minutes. Remove the bacon to a plate with a slotted spoon and pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat (see Cook's Note) into a large, heatproof bowl. To the bacon fat, add the crushed corn flakes and Cheddar. Stir the mixture together until it starts to clump. Press the mixture into the cups of the prepared muffin pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove and cool slightly on a baking rack in the pan.
• Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the onions and cook until softened and starting to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle on the mustard, salt, paprika and pepper. Stir the collard greens into the onion mixture. Continue cooking the greens, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Whisk together the half-and-half and eggs, then stir in the greens. Pour some of the egg mixture into each crust in the pan to come about three-quarters of the way up and sprinkle on the bacon. Bake until the egg has set and doesn't jiggle, 15 to 20 minutes. Set the mini quiches on a baking rack for 10 minutes to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

YUCATáN QUICHE

Steps:

• Crust: In a medium-size skillet, heat the safflower oil. Dip each tortilla briefly to soften and seal, then press between paper towels. Spray a 9-inch pie pan with a nonstick vegetable coating and then line with the prepared tortillas, overlapping them, extending about 1/2 inch over the pan edge. Filling: In a small bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half or cream, and salt. Set aside. Sprinkle half the cheese over the tortillas, followed by the beans, sausage, chiles, and then the egg mixture. Evenly distribute the remaining cheese over the top. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes or until firm. Garnish: Garnish the baked quiche with avocado and tomato slices. Place cilantro leaves over the top. Serve warm. Fun Fact: Larry McMurtry's novel Lonesome Dove was reportedly based on the Charles Goodnight /Oliver Loving trail rides in and around Weatherford, Texas. Goodnight's 600-mile return by wagon to Parker County with Loving's body helped make the McMurtry novel a best seller and a favorite television drama. Loving is buried in the old Greenwood Cemetery in Weatherford.

YUCATáN CHICKEN WITH ACHIOTE

Steps:

• Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch-wide strips. In a large bowl, mix together the orange juice, oregano, garlic, chile, achiote paste, salt, pepper, allspice, and olive oil to make the marinade. Add the chicken strips to the mixture and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• To cook the chicken, remove the strips from the marinade and drain off any excess liquid. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the chicken strips, turning once or twice, until thoroughly cooked (cut one to test), about 9 minutes total.
• Remove from the heat, squeeze fresh lime juice over the strips, and serve immediately or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.
• To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with salsa and pickled onions. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with salsa and pickled onions, fold, and eat right away.